A traffic impact study (TIS or TIA) conducted under the supervision of a current Professional Engineer licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of State and preferably possessing a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE) certificate, which identifies impacts of the proposed access on the transportation system in the surrounding area, and identifies mitigations to offset that impact. The report includes data collection and assessing the overall impact that the development will have on the transportation system and developing realistic improvements that mitigate impacts. The TIS or TIA must be signed and sealed by a PE licensed in Pennsylvania.
[Added 5-19-2025 by Ord. No. 430]
The traffic study shall be submitted with the preliminary plans. This study will enable the Township to assess the impact of a proposed development on highways and public transportation. Its purpose is to identify any traffic problems and to delineate solutions.
A.
Residential land development or subdivision of 50 or more dwelling units.
B.
Shopping Center.
C.
Commercial: A commercial building or buildings consisting of 25,000 square feet or more or total floor area.
D.
Office: A development consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of total floor area.
E.
Industrial: A development consisting of 50,000 square feet or more of total floor area or any truck terminal as a principal use.
F.
Institutional Hospital, Nursing Home or Institutional: A development of 50,000 square feet or more total floor area.
G.
Any other use expected to generate greater than 100 new trips inbound to the site or outbound from the site in site peak hour traffic, or 1,000 trips per day.
The traffic impact study shall be prepared by a qualified traffic engineer and/or transportation planner with previous traffic study experience. The procedures and standards for the traffic impact study are set forth in Subsection A of this section and the Highway Occupancy Permit Operations Manual Appendix A PennDOT Transportation Impact Study Guidelines dated September 2022 or as amended. If there is any discrepancy between the Township's and PennDOT Traffic Study Guidelines, the stricter standard shall apply.
A.
General requirements and standards. A transportation impact study shall contain the following information:
(1)
General site description. The site description shall include the size, location, proposed land uses, construction staging and completion date of the proposed development. A brief description of other major existing and proposed land developments for which preliminary plans have been submitted within the proposed study area shall be included. The Township reserves the right to determine the study area at a preapplication conference.
(2)
Transportation facilities description. The description shall contain documentation of the proposed internal and existing external transportation system. This description shall include proposed internal vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian circulation, all proposed ingress and egress locations, all internal roadway widths, and any traffic signals or other intersection control devices at all intersections within the site.
(3)
Existing traffic conditions. Existing traffic conditions shall be documented for all major roadways and intersections in the study area and any other intersections or roadways the Township deems will be affected by the proposed development. Existing traffic volumes for average daily traffic, peak highway hour(s) traffic and peak development-generated hour(s) traffic shall be recorded. Traffic counts at major intersections in the study area and others which the Township deems will be affected by the proposed development shall be conducted, encompassing the peak highway hour(s), and documentation shall be included in the report. A volume/capacity analysis based upon existing volumes shall be performed during the peak highway hour(s) and the peak development-generated hour(s) for all roadways and major intersections in the study area where those intersections which the Township deems will be impacted by the proposed development. Based upon the Highway Capacity Manual, or as amended, this analysis will determine the adequacy of the existing roadway system to serve the current traffic demand. Roadways and/or intersections experiencing levels of service D, E or F shall be noted as congested locations. A development generated peak hour analysis may be required per the Township Engineer's request.
(4)
Traffic impact of development. Estimation of vehicular trips to result from the proposed development shall be completed for the average daily peak highway hour(s) and peak development-generated hour(s). These development-generated traffic volumes shall be provided for the inbound and outbound traffic movements as estimated, and the I.T.E. Trip Generation Manual, 11th edition or as revised. All turning movements shall be calculated. These generated volumes shall be distributed and assigned to the existing roadways and intersections throughout the study area for which existing conditions were identified in Subsection B.(3) above. Documentation of all assumptions used in the distribution and assignment phase shall be provided. Traffic volumes shall be assigned to individual access points. Pedestrian volumes shall also be calculated, if applicable. If school crossings are to be used, pedestrian volumes shall be assigned to each crossing. Any characteristics of the site that will cause particular trip generation problems shall be noted.
(5)
Analysis of traffic impact. The total future traffic demand shall be calculated. This demand shall consist of the combination of the existing traffic expanded to the completion year (using an annual traffic growth rate available from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission), the development-generated traffic, and the traffic generated by other proposed developments in the study area. Traffic generation data shall be developed by the applicant from trip generation rates or from other traffic impact studies if they are available. A volume/capacity analysis shall be conducted using the future demand. A 'without development' and 'with development' future roadway capacity shall be conducted. If staging of the proposed development is anticipated, calculations for each stage of completion shall be made. This analysis shall be performed during the peak highway hour(s) for all roadways and major intersections in the study area which are deemed to be impacted by the proposed development. Volume/capacity calculations shall be completed for all major intersections. All access points and pedestrian crossings shall be examined as to the feasibility of installing traffic signals. This evaluation shall compare the projected traffic and pedestrian volumes to the minimum standards as per PennDOT standards for installation of a traffic signal. Turn lane analysis and queuing analysis shall be provided as requested by the Township Engineer. Associated traffic impact fees shall be set by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.
(6)
Conclusions and recommended improvements. Level of services shall be listed for all intersections including all individual movements and the overall intersection. All roadways, individual intersection movements, and/or intersections showing a level of service below C shall be considered deficient. Specific recommendations for the elimination of these problems shall be listed for critical movements and overall level of service drops and delays which increase by more than 10 seconds. This listing of recommended improvements shall include, but not be limited to, the following elements: internal circulation design, site access location and design, external roadway and intersection design and improvements and widenings, traffic signal installation and operation including signal timing, transit design improvements, and reduced intensities of use. The Township may request all physical roadway improvements to be shown in sketches. The recommended improvements for both roadways and transit shall include, for each improvement, the party responsible for the improvement, the cost and funding of the improvement and the completion date for the improvement.
(7)
Implementation. The Township Board of Supervisors shall review the traffic impact study to analyze the impact of the proposed development. If major problems are identified by the traffic impact study, or if any intersection, critical movement, or segment of road would fall below level C as the result of the proposed development, then the Board of Supervisors may: